Diet and Fitness Tips Backed by Science!

A recent report by ABC News suggests that sleep may play a major role in heart health. These findings are the first official results linking sleep to good health, although it’s no secret that a full nights rest can do wonders on the body.

The findings of this study were pretty staggering:

For each additional hour of sleep, the risk of calcification of the coronary arteries decreased by 33 percent — an outcome equal to reducing blood pressure by 16 point elevations.

The study consisted of 500 black and white, men and women between the ages of 37 and 47. The majority of participants showed reduced amounts of calcium build-up, or calcification, in their arteries that supply blood to the heart. The researchers couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for the decline in calcium, but they pointed to a few different possibilities:

There may be some sort of unknown factor involved that links sleep and heart disease that the researchers just don’t know how to measure.

Increased time sleeping may increase levels of cortisol released in the body, which would then reduce inflammation and consequently the release of calcium in the body.

Blood pressure declines while we sleep, so lower blood pressure for a longer period of time each day may play a role in the findings.

No matter what the reason for the link between sleep and better heart health, it’s exciting to know that sleeping-in can actually be good for you. So next time you sleep through your alarm and you’re late to work, tell your boss that you’re just trying to live a healthy life!…Hey, it’s worth a try!
🙂